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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^ 



EULOGY 



GEiN. ZACHARY TAYLOR, 



LATK TRESIDENT OF THE UXITKD STATES. 



DELIVERED OCTOBER 2, 1850, 



HON. JOSEni RHNGERSOLL 




PHILADELPHIA: 

CHI.SSY & MAllKLEY, I'KINTEKS, NO. 4 MINOR STREET. 

1850. 



City Hall, July 17, 1850. 

Wkdn'esday Evxnino. 
Dear Sir: — 

We beg leave to hand you, eucloscd, the copy of a Resolution of the Committee of 
Arrangement, appointed by the Select and Common Councils, to do honors to the memory of 
the late illustrious and lamcntt'd President, Zachary Taylor ; and, in expressing the hope, 
that you will find it convenient to yourself to yield to the request of the Committee, we are 
sure, that we only anticipate the most ardent wishes of our entire community. 
With sincere assurances of our personal regard, 
We are, very respectfully. 

Your friends and obedient servants, 
ISAAC ELLIOTT, 
ALBERT ti. WATERMAN, 
J. PRICE WETIIERILL. 
UoN. J. R. Inoeesou. 



Coniin)(4ee Kooiit, City IIaII. 

"EesohcJ, That the Subcommittee be authorized to wait on the lion. Joseph H. Ingir-soII, 
and invite him to deliver au Eulogiuui on the memory of the late President, Zachary Taylor, 
at u time to be designated by himself." 

E:ttract from the minutes. — July IC, IS50. 

EDMl.ND WILCO.X, 
Secretary to UiC Qjinmitkc qf Arrani/emaiU. 



South Fonrtli Street, July 30, 1850. 

Gentlemen : — 

I aui fully sensible of ni)' inability to deliuoate justly the character of '-the late illufi- 
trious and lanu-utcJ President." Yet a sense of duty, aud of respect for yourselves and the 
distinsuislu'd lx)dies of which you are the representatives, will not allow me to decline the 
invitation with which you are pleased to honor nic. I will hope, in obedience to the wishes 
so kindly coiumunioateJ by you, to deliver '• an Eulogium," at a time that may be mutually 
agreeable. 

Believe me to be, 

Most truly and respectfully yours, 

.1. 1!. INGKltSOLL. 
Isaac Elliott, 
Albert (1. Watekma.v, 
John Trice W'ETHERiii, Esq'rs., 

Committee of Arrangements. 



Committee Room, C'onitcils, 

i'iiiL,u>ELPiiiA, October S, 1S50. 
'• Ormmitli'e on Sulimniticx,'' <&., apjmnlcd l>y Cmok-Us. July 10, ISoO. 
SPECIAL MEETING. 
"On motion, it was Jfesohrd, That the thanks of this Committee be, and they are hereby 
pri'.-ented to the Uoniirable Joseph U. IngersoU, for his most able and elocjuent Eulopum, 
pronounced on Wednesday Evenin;:, Oetol)er 2d, 1S50, upon the life and public services of 
(iciienil /a<-hary Taylor, deceased, late President of the United States; and that he be 
resp<'ctfully rei|uest*>d to allow this CommitU'e the use of the manuscript, for the purpose 
»if having' the same published in iiamplilel form.'' 

EDMUND WILCOX, 
Secretari/ to the CommMte of Arrangements. 



EULOGY. 



If it be true that no man can bo deemed bappy 
before his death, we shall the more willingly unite in 
paying to the late president this tribute of aftection 
and respect. His life Mas a career of glory, and he 
died full of honors. Yet a manly sorrow is not fur- 
bidden by the reflection, that the legacy which he has 
left to the country of an unspotted and illustrious 
name, is at once the cause of lasting consolation and 
just pride. The hopes of a great people have been 
suddenly blighted and turned to grief. Millions who 
hailed the auspicious election of the man of (li(>ir 
choice, bow down in sad submission to the decree 
that his chief magistracy shall be no loniier. Ev(mi 
they who, in the fair exercise of a constitutional liiilit, 
witlilicjd from liiiii their suirrag(\s, |)artake of the 
mouniiui^- l()r a general loss. I'lineral solemnities lia\ e 

been performed ni many cities. 'l'he\ lia\e pronouneed. 
1 



as it were, sentence of approving judgment on departed 
worlli. As tnarks of public respect, ceremonies of this 
cliaractcr have l)ccn resorted to in greater or less de- 
gree of display and pouip, from the remotest ages, 
loMLr iH'forc immortality was brouglit to light, and 
Avlicu thick darkness rested upon our destiny in the 
great hereafter. They continue to Ijc used as proofs 
of becoming sorrow, and as pledges that surviving 
friends, and grateful and admiring countrymen, will 
bear in cherished recollection the examples of those 
whose counsels, however wise, can no more be uttered ; 
and whose energies, however commanding, have ceased 
for ever. They arc in principle not unlike those tri- 
bunals we read of, A\hicli were invested with jurisdic- 
tion over the ^\hole conduct of life, and held their 
solemn sittings after its close. A diiferencc in favor 
of the honors which we pay, consists in their being 
voluntary eiVusions of feeling, flowing in unprompted 
puritv from the heart. These are pious ofierings of 
posthumous esteem. They are like evening dews, 
wliich, having ascended from the grateful earth, shed 
their gentle and refreshing influence after the light has 
ceased to shine. 

" Such honors Ilion to her hero paid, 

And peaceful slept the mighty Hector's shade." 



It is almost peculiar to our couutry that mIhIc in 
the tumult of political strife, invective and seemingly 
bitter resentments prevail, the resentments are as- 
suaged, and the expression of them is hu^he(l hy tlic 
sanctity of death. The press, so active and so crili- 
cal, returns to its (piiver the envenomed iiiTow pre- 
pared for Hight, and sheathes the s\\ ord sharpened for 
assault. Blessed Mould be the sorrow that should 
keep them there! IJival ))()liticians in the national 
legislature vie wilh each other in terms of eulogy. 
State legislatures, ordinarily opposed in i)()liiical sen- 
timent, unnnimously adopt resolutions of fervent praise. 
Justice, which may have been withheld from living 
merit, is freely offered, when the voice of honor and 
the voice of shame are alike unable to " provoke the 
silent dust," or " soothe the dull cold ear of death." 

x\n ordeal so severe stands in the way to eminence, 
that merit only can be expected to reach the di^niiy 
and inllncnce, it is supposed to confer. Kare niii.-l ho 
the occasion, A\ hen its jjrdcnsions, ha\ inu: stood the 
proof, are not entitled to \\\c praise. "The call to that 
high place," said Mr. Madison, in his iiiauunial dis- 
course, " is a distinguished mark of cnnfulence pro- 
ceeding lV(»ni tlic deliberate and traiKpid snllVages of 
a free and \iitnons nation." All those who have been 
so distin(Tni>hed. have been nion> than st iiitini/.ed in 
their approach to power, and when that power has 



8 

been laid aside, they have not failed in the hearts and 
minds of their earliest posterity to be identified with 
the name and fame of the republic. It is matter of 
liistoric pride that the eleven Presidents who, since 
the formation of the constitution, have, by deliberate 
suflrage, been called to that high place, were all re- 
markable for their private virtues and devoted love of 
country. It is scarcely possible here that an Aurelius 
should be succeeded by a Commodus. Accordingly 
the qualities of all of them have been without a taint 
of selfishness or inordinate ambition, from the sublime 
virtues of the first, whom foreign observers have 
placed in the foremost rank of all mankind, to the quiet 
heroism of the last, whose oflicial records of his own 
achievements have, on like authority, been received as 
models of simplicity, brevity, and modesty. To both, 
have these mournfiil rites especially been paid, with a 
plainness derived from the character of the institutions 
of which one of them was a founder, and each of them 
was officially and personally a zealous supporter ; and 
with a sincerity that was due to the chosen objects of 
honor and renown. They will go down the course of 
years together. Future generations will confirm the 
opinion of the present, and time, when it shall have 
dispersed the clouds of error and prejudice, if they 
now prevail, and tested the soundness of existing judg- 
ment, and even obscured the events themselves, which 



may have been too fiiintly delineated, ^vill irild the re- 
collection of the homage that has been done, and the 
names it illustrates. 

If the political children of the fathers of our coun- 
try have, like the children of the patriarchs of old, the 
sons of Abraham and the sons of Isaac, ditlercd in 
their parents' lives, they have, like those children of the 
patriarchs, " mingled tears over their parents' tomb," 
and " their angry passions sleep in dust." 

Impartial posterity sometimes speedily sets aside 
the hastily-formed opinion of the day, sometimes more 
remotely. It seldom fails to develope, hi the end, a 
genuine sentiment, though for a season it may have 
been obscured or perverted. It is one advantage in 
the too open course of the government policy of our 
country, and of those ^vho carry out its designs, that 
there is little danger that either should be greatly mis- 
interpreted. Ages have not always sufliced elsewhere 
to fix a judgment upon a ruler, and he has been ap- 
plauded or condemned \\ ith a voice that has lluctuated 
for centuries. We are told of \\\c superb funeral of 
Cromwell. It was more than ici^al. His waxen 
cfiiijy, Iving in roval rohes upon a vel\et bed ot state, 
with cro^\Il and i^lnlie and see|)tre, like a kiiii;". \sas 
borne hv his own jnrds under a pall (»l NeUit and lin(^ 
linen. Pendants and iii/idons were earned hy oilicers 
ol the arin\. Imperial hainiers and (k/ik /iik /i/s i>v 



10 

heralds in their coats. A richly-caparisoned horse, 
embroidered all over ^vith gold ; a knii^lit of honor, 
armed cap-a-pie; and after all his guards, soldiers, and 
innumerable mourners. In less than two short years, 
we are also told, this royal effigy was hung with a 
rope round its neck from the bars of a window at 
Whitehall. 

The Inst hours of our lamented President form a 
contrast with those of the great Protector not less 
striking ihan his obsequies. Some great men have 
looked to the dicad event which all must meet with 
indiftcrence ; some willi uiunanly I'car; some with de- 
sire. Death, we read, was terrib'e to Cicero, delight- 
ful to Cato, indifferent to Socrates. It was the becom- 
ing and peculiar part of General Taylor lo die as he 
had lived, in the unaficcted performance of a duty. 
The fatal messenger foiuul him not unpj-epared, and 
witnessed, it may be said, the modest, simple, brief 
farewell to time and all things human, uttered not 
in sullen acquiescence, proud defiance, or unworthy 
boasting, but in humble trust that he had endeavored 
to do his duty. \\'b("llicr the dying patriot, always 
conscious that his own merits Mcre of no reliance 
beyond the grave, and looking back to a busy inter- 
course with men— intcMided to convey to those about 
him a paternal lesson, in his own example, or repeated 
to himself the secret whispering of a loyal bosom, or 



11 

devoutly offered up his soul in all humility to its eter- 
nal Judo-e, claiming no loftier praise than an endeavor 
to do his duty — it was in every shape the ruling prin- 
ciple of all his actions. Never was a master passion 
more amiably indulged. Never was an instinctive ten- 
dency, which discipline had matured into a governing 
rule, and habit had identified with the elements of 
a pure nature, more triumphantly vindicated. No 
ostentation sullied the patient utterance. No aim to 
elevate, no effort to disguise the motive or the charac- 
ter of actions, all of which were ended. The clay-cold 
lil)s were closed for ever, moistened with the last breath 
that uttcivd the characteristic words, "I have endea- 
vored to do my duty." It was not, as on like occasions 
is often perceived, the unconscious murmuring of a 
distempered fancy, bereft of reason and excited by 
fleeting phantoms of the past. It was the distinct per- 
ception and fervent utterance of a predominant and 
habitual thought, which, having gone with the daring 
spirit through many a danger, sustained, for a moment, 
the same spirit while sink in u in the feebleness and the 
ao-ony of dissolving natuiT, and llicn wcMit A\illi it, 
disembodied, n[) to lu'iivcn. 

We, his count i-Mncii, arr cndcavoriuii-, in return, to 
pay a small part of the debt which is i\\\c to him, 
whose manly life was exposed, (Midanixered, and de- 
voted, for his country. Eulogy performs its litting 



12 

office when it pours forth a nation's gratitude to the 
memory of puhhc benefactors, — to the mighty dead, 
who have been high in station and in honor, — to those 
who, without a compromise of virtue, have, in the 
world's esteem, won the attribute of greatness. It 
was the chosen head of the government that, by a 
fatal and resistless blow, has been struck down in the 
midst of the people. A life which danger could not 
touch on the field of carnage, or the rude shock of 
armies overthrow in the fiercest conflict of battle, has 
obeyed a sterner summons, in seeming security, and 
guarded by the protecting wishes of many millions. 
A bereaved country submits, with resignation to the 
will of heaven, and adores the wisdom which permits 
the loss, and sanctifies the affliction. The grave has 
closed upon the mortal remains of a hero and a ruler, 
and the swelling heart speaks its willing praise of merit 
that is no longer cotemporary. The fragrance of the 
memory of departed excellence diflfuses itself over the 
land, and its ripened fruits have become the common 
property of all. 

It was the more than ordinary lot of the late presi- 
dent to have been successful and happy in all of his 
undertakings that are known. lie ceased to conquer, 
so far as we are informed, only when he ceased to 
live. The world may liave presented to him difficulties, 
as war presented dangers ; but they were difficulties 



13 

and dangers, presented alike, to Ix) overcome. No 
path was too steep to be ascended, or too rugged to 
be pursued. Even death was not without a serenity 
that has not often crowned so active a career. Tlie 
muse of history, after inscribing on lasting tablets, for 
the instruction of mankind, the bold achievements of 
many a hero, is compelled to mourn over his closing 
hours that have dimmed their lustre. Not one of the 
Caesars, according to some accounts, from the Dictator 
to Vespasian, died otherwise than by violence. The 
first of them, the brightest in the galaxy, fell a traitor 
by the daggers of the noblest men of Rome, when 
Brutus " shook his crimsoned steel." Another hero, 
no less illustrious, perished in the flower of his age, 
in the intoxication and voluptuousness of a royal feast, 
his blood-stained hand reeking from the murder of a 
friend. A third lived through all his battles, to become 
a melancholy wreck of dotage and helpless imbecility. 
A fourth, as it were but yesterday, fell from his tower- 
ing height, and lingered through his latest yr.irs in 
hopeless captivity upon a barren rock. In the suit 
tints of mellowed light which fell upon tlie eveniuix of 
that well spent day which we are coiitcinplatinLi-, 
blessed, as it was, in tlio tciulcrc^sl and dearest s\ m- 
pathies of domestic alfectioii, iiolliiiin: is presented to 
the recollection but the clear image of virtuous deeds, 
2 



14 

and the bright example of a vigorous and unspotted 
hfe. 

This is not the occasion for entering upon the pro- 
vince of history, which claims exclusive right to make 
narratives of events, and to record, in detail, the cir- 
cumstances of the lives of eminent men. Our part is 
rather to develope striking points of character, and to 
show in what chiefly consisted the merits of one, whose 
virtues and position have made him illustrious. In 
displaying some of the excellencies of a lofty nature 
connected with marked efforts of conduct and action, 
it may be necessary to anticipate the biographer in 
lookins to certain salient and characteristic incidents 
that call forth exalted qualities, and serve to illustrate 
them. Philosophy is to be extracted from iact ; and 
scarcely a passing circumstance fails to point its 
moral if it be duly appreciated. 

In the Spring of 1845, when the annexation of Texas 
had been authorized by Congress, an ofhcer of rank 
in the military service of the United States was selected 
for a delicate and responsible command. But for that 
selection he might have continued to live in the respect 
and esteem of the government, and the comparatively 
few who knew him, or who had heard of an occasional 
eftbrt that he had made of uncommon bravery in arms. 
Of all his countrymen he would have been later than 



15 

the last to disturb an habitual equanimity by any 
dreams of poHtical ambition. As long as health and 
strength of mind and body should endure, his sober 
^vishes would have looked forward in contentment to 
the performance of his arduous, but familiar, duty in 
the field ; and, when its performance there should be 
made, even in distant prospect, doubtful, by the en- 
vious course of time, then to hang up his bruised arms, 
and retire to the retrospect of a well spent public life, 
and the possession of unwonted frugal rest. Moderate 
and tranquil as his expectations may have been, they 
were animated by the arrival of confidential instruc- 
tions, free from all ambiguity, which found liim at 
Fort Jessup, La., in the month of June. They required 
a forward movement of his troops forthwith. The 
immediate destination was the Gulf of Mexico, with 
an ultimate view to the western frontier of Texas, on 
or near the Rio Grnnde del Norte, to repel invasion 
and protect what, in the event of annexation, would be 
regarded as our western border. The instructions 
were, as the recipient of tliem proiniscnl they should 
be, closely obeyed. An ouNNurd niovcinciit was pur- 
sued, strictly under orders ihrouiihout, from post to 
post. Aransas Pass and Corpus Christ i were soon 
reached; ami thence, in due; season, •• the Army ot 
Occiipalioii of Texas. heiuL: now ahoiit to take a posi- 
tion up(jn the left bank ol' the Ivio Craiulc, under the 



16 

orders of the executive of tlic United States,"* the 
Colorado, Point Isabel, and the designated western 
border. During the course of these operations, not 
only was military skill in threatened marches critically 
exercised, but much personal discretion and political 
judgment were required in the conduct of so unusual 
an enterprise. A state of things existed that was 
neither peace nor war, truce nor strict neutrality. It 
called for the appearance and the reality of diilerent 
attitudes in compliance with the emergencies of the 
moment. It was w- ell described in an official paper from 
the secretary as " an equivocal state which had not 
the settled character of peace or war." Yet it was a 
state of which the equivocal character might, at the 
most unlooked for time, from the most unexpected 
cause, be deprived of its ambiguities, and made to 
unrol " the })urplc testament of bleeding m ar." As 
the individual who was invested with immediate con- 
trol for all occasions, must exhibit in himself the 
modest stillness of the one condition, so must he bear 
witliin him an energy to rule in the whirlwind of the 
other. Acting always under the restraint of orders 
and committing no acts of positive hostility, he was 
gathering strength for the blow if it must be struck ; 



* General Taylor's " Order No. 30, Head-Quarters Army of 
Occupation, Corpus Christi, March 8, 1846." 



and he took a position that would defy the assaults 
of a probable enemy, against protests, proclamations, 
and menaces, and planted his artillery where its work 
could not fiiil to be etiectual, on the very brink of war.* 
A crisis here presented itself in the fate of the future 
President. The liveliest curiosity was excited con- 
cerninof his movements, and universal interest was felt 
in his behalf. During this interval of intense solici- 
tude, his brief career of brilliant honors began to dawn. 
No accidental routine of service had pointed him out 
for the especial employment. " About four thousand 
men" were officially reported by the general-in-chief 
at Washington, " to compose the army of occupation 
under Brevet Brigadier-General Taylor, an officer of 
high merit." In the annual message to Congress of 
that year, the President announces, in relation to this 
well-considered selection, that " from his known cha- 
racter, and that of the general staff', commanders of 

* President's Message, 11th May, 184G. "Instructions were 
issued on the 13lh January, 1846, to the general in command of 
those troops to occupy tlic left bank of the Del Norte." The gene- 
ral replies, February 4, — " I shall lose no time in making prepara- 
tions for carrying out these instructions." " The army will go fully 
prepared for a state of hostilities should they be unfortunately pro- 
voked by Mexico." April G he writes from the left bank of the Rio 
Grande, — "These guns bear directly upon the |niblic square of Mata- 
Bioras, and within good range for demolishing the town." 



18 

corps, officers and men, there is no doubt the army of 
occupation will be more than sufficient for any defen- 
sive exigency likely to occur in that quarter." A better 
choice could scarcely have been made for a delicate 
and doubtful duty. The doubtfulness of it was judi- 
ciously sustained for a season without one hasty or 
needlessly otfensive step, keeping in reserve the ability 
to conquer. Carefully to marshal all available means 
of conflict — fully to prepare for every contingency — 
firmly to assume an attitude to strike at the earliest 
needful opportunity, and to impart to a thus inevitable 
blow a vigor which would make it effectual — and yet, 
in appearance, to do nothing but move quietly into 
position ; these were the governing rules of a settled 
yet diversified course of conduct. They were adopted 
as the means both of military success and territorial 
acquisition and guardianship. An observance of them 
was the engine of political advantage to the govern- 
ment, and unconsciously both to the government and 
its officer, of certain advancement to the individual by 
whom it was faithlully served. Achievements soon 
succeeded each other, not so much according to the 
ordinary calculation of numbers, or established rules 
derived from experience, as in apparent compliance 
with a controlling will. One head and one heart ani- 
mated every movement. Triumph trod upon the heels 
of triumph, in positions and under circumstances that 



10 

were various in every thing, except a uniform disparity 
of forces, which was an clement of glory ; and almost 
unform predictions of disaster, that were doomed to 
disappointment. 

In less than a year, a prodigious change had come 
over the nation's dream. The watchfires that burned 
on the fields of Mexico were, signals for responsive 
civic fires, lighted by public sentiment on the top of 
every eminence, and blazinji; A\ith inextinguishable 
brightness throughout the land. Here, on the spot, 
and almost within the walls where independence was 
proclaimed to an astonished world, one of the earliest 
demonstrations was made on the lOlh of April, not 
many days after intelligence had arrived of the latest 
victory. It was speedily succeeded by a meeting in 
the Northern Liberties of the 15th ; in which a nomi- 
nation was made without regard to party, and as on 
all subsequent occasions, without "the knowledge, 
wishes, or consent" of the individual whose name was 
soon inscribed upon a thousand I aimers. ExpcriiMiccd 
statesmen and wise lawgivers, ihe elocjuent tongue and 
the learned iniiid, were superseded \)\ the iiew-horn 
fame of the unpretending soldier, rolitieal partitas 
vied with vdvh other in ellorts to be foremost in the 
race of i)refercnce. The voice that spoke was 
l)roinptc(k not i)y dehherate relleetion, hut h\ univer- 
sal syuii)atliy. An electric >park scenietl to have 



20 

struck an expansive nerve in the whole body of the 
people, and awakened an excitement that was not to 
be controlled. No spirit of prophecy was required to 
foretell the inevitable result. A name known but re- 
cently, yet emblazoned with glory; a character new to 
the nation and the world, but written indelibly in the 
affections of both ; a person that not one in ten thou- 
sand had ever seen, was to be placed at the head of 
the nation. No repugnance of his own, no long- 
cherished predilections among portions of the people 
for others, nothing could stay the onward course of 
excitement, gratitude, and pride, which swept, like a 
resistless torrent, sectional differences into one com- 
mon mass, and left no choice except between the 
beaten track of an ordinary nomination by a party, 
and the novelty of one by acclamation among the citi- 
zens. Not a few were gratified at finding the utmost 
simplicity of deportment which they could fully appre- 
ciate, united to a moral dignity that was a mysterious 
object of wonder. Many were dazzled by the brilliancy 
of the first military exploits against a civilized nation 
that had been brought home to their patriotic feelings 
after a long course of peace. Some were willing to 
escape for a season from the trammels of party and 
to try an election that should be raised above its sphere. 
All felt a confidence, without reserve, in the charm 
which sterlini]^ honest v and unbendiuix firmness would 



21 

fling around them, and hoped they would attract, as 
Mithin a magic circle, every other virtue and all good 
men, to the assistance and support of a government 
resting upon a basis of tried integrity and popular 
will. 

There was yet more in the enthusiasm that was so 
charged with prophecy. Every measure of the cam- 
paign was marked m ith the energy of the leader, by 
which the credit of it was made peculiarly his own. 
In carrying back his whole force from the river, except 
a well-judged sufficiency to garrison the strong bas- 
tioned field fort which had been thrown up, he justly 
beheved the brigade left sufficient to maintain itself 
"against any Mexican odds." While that position 
must be held, the depot at Point Isabel, distant some 
eight and twenty miles, was threatened, and reinforce- 
ments were to be gathered there to strengthen his 
limited numbers. The popularity, and with it the suc- 
cess of the war, depended on the result of this enter- 
prise. He wisely anticipated encounter on tlu> way, 
and knowing the value of every man in the risk of 
being overwhelmed I )y numbers, he resolv(Ml to keep 
them all toocther. It was at this tiiiu^ tliat foreign 
journals, joining in the taunt of ungenerous criticisni, 
proclaimed the contemptuous prediction thai il he 
should venture to cross into iMexieo, lie would soon 
he driven hack with nolhiiiL!: to cover his (hs^race i)iil 



22 

his ragged flag. Far difTcrcnt were the standards and 
trophies tliat floated over his return — standards of 
vanquished armies and captured citadels, trophies, not 
only of heroism and honor, but of justice, kindness, 
benevolence, and magnanimity. 

Before the final departure from Point Isabel, where 
much disappointment was felt at the non-arrival of 
what was thought adequate additional force, the gene- 
ral was strongly urged by brave men yet longer to 
await its coming. Every argument was pressed upon 
him which prudence could suggest, in favor of avoid- 
ing the exposure of so small a body to greatly supe- 
rior numbers, the extent of which was uncertain, but 
the reputation of which for discipline and cfliciency, par- 
ticularly in cavalry, was far from inconsiderable. He 
listened to a long discussion with patience and respect. 
Some one at length remarked to him that his only 
reliance was on the expected reinforcements. He 
promptly replied, " My reliance is on our bayonets — 
we will march to-morrow."* A despatch of the 7th 
May accordingly announces that he should move that 



* In the general order of 7th May, 1846, No. 58, is this phrase; 
"The commanding general has every confidence in his ofiicers and 
men. If his orders and instructions are carried out, he lias no doubt 
of the result, let the enemy meet him in what numbers he may. He 
wishes to enjoin upon the battalions of infantry that their main de- 
pendence must be in the bayonet." 



23 

day with the main body of the army, gladdened l)y 
the occasional sound of guns in the direction of Mata- 
moras, " showing that every thing is right in that 
quarter." " If the enemy oppose my march," he pro- 
ceeds to say, "in whatever force, I shall fight him." 
The enemy did oppose his march, and he fought him 
skilfully, with al)out one-third of his numbers. Neither 
the determination nor the act was prompted by any 
want of due respect for a gallant foe ; while he was 
well aware of the personal superiority of his own sol- 
diers. Whether a similar feeling of respect animated 
his antagonists may be judged by the fact that they 
had brought with them to the field five hundred women 
to be employed in pillaging and in stripping the dead. 
An impassable pond separated the combatants, and 
confined their efforts principally to a play of artillery. 
Night closed the combat, and the soldier slept upon 
his arms. As the general slumbered on the naked 
ground, moonlight his lamp, the ccntiiu^l's triNid his 
lullaby — he was awakened with an incjuiry Nsliethcr 
the teams should be harnessed. He answered, *• the 
men have had a hard day's work — let iIkmu slcc^p ;" 
and resting his head upon its cold pillow, and his limbs 
upon their " llinty and steel conch,'"' he set tliem an 
example in the soundness of liis slumbers, in \\lii(Ii, 
upon all occasions, they wvrr ready to coulidt' as a 
proof of entire security, and to profit bv it. At dav- 



24 

break again a desire was expressed to him that they 
should fall back rather than face once more an enemy 
so numerous, now probably reinforced. After listen- 
ing to the advice of a large council, he substituted his 
own judgment for that of the many, and took again 
the onward course to victory.* In the orders of the 
7th May, he had enjoined upon the battalions of in- 
fantry that their main dependence must be on the 
bayonet ; and had given, as he said, to the light bat- 
teries a " fair chance" at Palo Alto. He now ordered 
a charge of cavalry and infantry soon after the armies 
became engaged, and brought into use every descrip- 
tion of arms. They all emulated each other in skill 
and vigor, and rivalled each other in nmtual support 
and contribution to success. He might well receive 
the applause addressed to the leader of the Grecian 
forces before the w alls of Troy : — 

'< Great commander ! Nerve and bone of Greece ! 
Heart of our numbers : soul and only spirit 
In whom the tempers and the minds of all 
Should be shut up!" 



* On the field of Resaca, when the battle was evidently won, the 
general remarked to an oflkcr, — "Suppose I had taken the advice 
of those who did not wish me to advance, where would we be now ? 
I knew this result would occur," »Scc. " I was confident they could 
not bring an army to defeat the gallant little band I commanded." 



25 

The confidence of the enemy, derived from skill and 
numerical strength, may be inferred from the condition 
of their commander's camp, which strangely contrasted 
with the simple arrangements of the American leader. 
His preparations, like those, indeed, of all of the nine 
generals who had rank and commands on the occa- 
sion, seemed as if formed for an excursion of plea- 
sure rather than a field of battle. Papers, valuables, 
costly plate, all w-ere there, as was thought, beyond 
the reach of danger. A captive general oflicer declared 
on the following day, that if he had had a treasure 
with him of any amount, he would have regarded it 
as safe as if it were in the city of Mexico. 

Enterprises of all kinds are supposed to derive im- 
portant influences from their outset and early occur- 
rences. It has, therefore, been considered that the 
whole complexion of the Mexican war was imbued 
with the brilliant and with the sombre hues derived 
from its first battles. To the hosts of one nation they 
proved a pillar of light ; to those of the other a cloud 
of darkness. They taught each to feel its relative 
capacity. They broke in pieces the talisman of con- 
fidence with which one party was aruud, and they 
placed a charmed sword of victory in the li.ind of the 
other. They served to create a principle of faith, 
which is powerful in all tliiiiLis. In its iiifiisiiMi into 
armies it is strong enough to turn the llanks ol niunn- 



26 

tains. They served, too, in gloomy retrospect, as a 
pall of despondency, that hung upon the doomed for- 
tunes of the vanquished. They taught both to disre- 
gard the ordinary estimates on which the fate of 
armies is supposed to rest. Numbers became neu- 
tralised as an item of calculation, and position was 
almost paralyzed as a basis of support. Defective 
resources grew into abundant supplies in the bivouac 
of the accustomed victors ; while plentiful stores 
melted away, as measures of strength, in the strong 
fortress of those who believed that they were to be 
defeated. The word fail was struck from the vocabu- 
lary of the invading troops. If at any time they 
had been in reality, according to repeated threaten- 
ings, overwhelmed with numbers or cut to pieces, vic- 
tory would scarcely had been recognized on standards 
to which it had become a stranger, or defeat acknow- 
ledged by those who believed it to be impossible. An 
imputed mastery, which went through the whole war, 
belongs to these early successes and the lasting feel- 
ing produced by them. It detracts nothing from the 
merits of that great captain who, with the certainty 
of science and the intuition of military genius, and in 
the full blaze of valor and renown, conducted another 
column over lofty ramparts and frowning battlements 
to the last great accomplishment of the lawful end of 
war. Each contributed his full measure to the mighty 



27 

work, and tlic trophies of the one were hailed by tlic 
other with patriotic pride, as attributes of his own 
unenvied glory. 

Yet it cannot be disguised that the first victories 
were pledges of many more. Unbounded gratitude 
and praise are due to that daring and sagacious firm- 
ness, which, in unaided self-dependence, took at its 
flood the tide to fortune. On each of several occa- 
sions military men would have opposed, for they did 
oppose, what they believed to be a more than doubt- 
ful hazard ; and if not triumphant, ^^ hat the world 
would have condemned as full of rashness. These 
were occasions when the promptings of genius must 
prevail over the suggestions of prudence, even at a 
risk which less vigorous minds might shrink from, 
and reason in the abstract might condemn. Between 
the boldest measures and utter ruin, was the only 
choice. Reflect upon the consequences that must have 
arisen from an opposite determination, induced, as it 
mi«dit have been, on one occasion, — the most brilliant 
of them all— by advice as authentic, as it was believed 
by many to bo sound. Had one (Xx^^y loss ol lii>roic 
blood filled the swelling h(>art of llio brave soldier, he 
would luivo fallen back, justified by rule and by coun- 
cils of A\ar, to his intrcMulnncnts. Ihit his inmioiial 
name would have been forfeited; torrents of blood 
would lui\e iloued ni the \ alley of Mexico; hopes noNs 



28 

extinguished for ever would have aroused the wliole 
population of the enemy to new exertions; and the 
proud flag \vhich floats in honor upon every sea, 
would have become an object of loathing and scorn. 
Responsibility again and again fell upon him alone. 
Again and again it was fearlessly met and faithfully 
discharged, and a nation pays the well-earned tribute 
of its gratitude. 

From the moment that flagrant war was about to 
put aside the uncertain condition in Avhich the respect- 
ive frontiers stood, and all that remained, was to carry 
it on eflectually, the commanding general recom- 
mended, as he was prepared to exercise, the utmost 
vigor ; and advised that the enemy's country should 
be made its theatre. A city of great strength, well 
fortified and full of troops, was the key to an exten- 
sive region, and it must be taken. A well established 
principle requires for the assailants, in such cases, a 
disparity of three to one. Monterey was attacked by 
not much more than half the number of its garrison. 
" It was believed by the Mexicans to be impregnable." 
It " had the reputation for tlie greatest strength of 
any town in the country." "Against small arms it 
was itself a fortification from one end to the other." 
Such is the language of an eye witness and a sharer 
in the exploit. He testifies, besides, that the general, 
after the close of the battle, when he had laid aside 



29 

his arms, "divided the Jittle comforts he possessed 
among the wounded, and sent even the presents of 
fruit which he received from the inhabitants of tlie 
country, to be distributed at the liospitals." With 
hke feehngs he sent supplies of all kinds to the 
wounded and diseased Mexicans, abandoned by their 
own chief at Encarnacion. 

A series of untoward circumstances about this time 
occurred, which were well calculated to try how far 
an equanimity that was proof against all the contin- 
gencies of battle, would stand the test of complaint 
and opposition, where nothing was expected but appro- 
bation and support. After a gallant defence, Monterey 
capitulated. Within the scope of instructions pre- 
viously received, was the power, if occasion should 
require, holding out the hope of peace, to conclude an 
armistice.* A favorable opportunity for the exercise 
of this power was here presented. A farther effusion 
of blood on both sides could be prevented. The prin- 
cipal loss of life must necessarily be sustained hv 
troops A\ho, while determined to succeed, were unco- 
vered to fire from embrasures and parapets. The 
claims of humanity were heard amidst the siiouts of 



* General Scott's oflicial letter, Washington, Hend-qiiartcrs of the 
army, June I'J, 1S4G. Repeated in a letter, dated " Ilead-qnartcrs 
of the army, VV'ashington, June 1'), 184G." 
4 



30 

victory. Feelings of gratitude would be excited in 
the bosoms of the coni^uered without abating a tittle 
of the advantages of success. Escape was practicable 
to those who w^ere permitted to withdraw, and the 
possession of them as prisoners would have been em- 
barrassing and burdensome. The just pride of the 
victors would be gratified by augmented glory re- 
flected from an award of merit to their antagonists. It 
was no military necessity that induced liberal terms. 
To infuse some drops of conciliation into the bitter 
cup of disaster which they had been made to drink 
nearly to the dregs, was consistent with a policy 
which proposed to conquer peace. An armistice was 
therefore asreed to, of which the terms had been ar- 
ranged by those who were most competent to judge. 
It did not meet with the concurrence of the depart- 
ment, and within eleven days of the time fixed for its 
close, it was declared inoperative.* 

Another check, not less keenly felt by the General, 
mingled with alleged interferences with his command, 
consisted of a sharp rebuke from the Government, 



* The " orders" of 27th September arc thus expressed : "Superior 
to us in numbers, strongly fortified, and with an immense prepon- 
derance of artillery, ihcy have yet been driven from every point, 
until forced to sue for terms of capitulation. Such terms have 
been granted as were considered due to the gallant defence of the 
town, and to the liberal policy of our own Government/' 



31 

growing out of the publication, by a military corre- 
spondent, of a private letter, not intended for the j)ress. 
The characteristic answer given to this measure of 
disapproval must not be overlooked. It conveyed the 
frank acknowledgment of the writer that to any ex- 
pression of disapprobation coming with the high 
authority of the President, he was bound, by duty and 
by respect for his high office, patiently to submit; but 
lest silence should be construed into a tacit admission 
of the grounds and conclusions set forth, he deemed 
it a duty to himself to speak plainly in reply. He did 
not admit that the letter was obnoxious to the objec- 
tions that had been urged. He firmly maintained that, 
although since the capitulation of Monterey, the con- 
fidence of the department had been gradually with- 
drawn, and his own consideration and usefulness cor- 
respondingly diminished, he had sought faithfully to 
serve the country by carrying out the wishes and in- 
structions of the executive. It was on this occasion 
that he used tlic plirasc N\lii(li has been often (juotcd: 
"I ask no favor, and I shrink from no responsibility.'' 
lie concludes in terms of ("<jnal sternness: *' \\ liilr 
intrusted wilh the command in this (iii.irtrr, I shall 
continue to devote all my energies to the public good, 
looking for \u\ reward to the consciousness of \n\vo. 
motives and the final \('nlict of iiii|)aiiial Iiist(tr\." 
Soon, too soon, (lid that reliance tiiul its reward in the 



32 

trying hour which brought him again into communion 
with the high ofiiccr whose authority he had not dis- 
puted, wlio had paid the great debt of nature before 
him. Too soon has the appeal been adjudged by the 
final verdict of impartial history. 

What he deemed the hardest duty of all, almost at 
the same time with these other perplexing difficulties, 
was to submit to the withdrawal of his troops. A 
small force had remained with him. Small as it was, 
it had shared with him in dangers and triumphs, and 
they were prepared to meet together for better and for 
worse the chances of future fortune. The essential 
part of this little army was unexpectedly removed to 
another quarter. To this, a sense of duty, still his 
guiding star, led to prompt obedience. But the con- 
sequences which the order was supposed to involve, of 
unaccustomed inactivity and forbearance from the field, 
he felt perfect freedom, without any breach of discipline, 
manfully to resist and effectually to counteract. It was 
the wish of the Government, and a believed necessity, 
and certainly a strongly expressed call from superior 
authoritv, short of absolute command, that he should 
abandon his advanced post, and make no detachments, 
except for immediate defence and limited purposes. 
A resistance to these inducements, grave as they were, 
could have arisen only from a deep sense of what was 
due to the honor and safety of the brave companions 



33 

who were still around him. lie dcemccl it inglorious 
that they should seek shelter within the walls which 
they had so lately mastered, or abandon a whole re- 
gion which they had made their own. He took upon 
himself, accordingly, all the responsibility for which he 
might be called to account — by the enemy, and he cheer- 
fully prepared for the issue with them. Considering 
the continued occupancy of his position necessary, he 
declared his intention to hold it unless he should be 
positively ordered by the Government to fall back. 
How he met his responsibility to the enemy, speedily 
became matter of history -, his own Government placed 
him under no restraint by positive orders ; and the 
merit of his position was told in the fatal retreat of 
the repulsed Mexican army through leagues of arid 
desert, where "famine and the ague cat them up."* 
If the General never forgot the honor and glory of 

* A despatch, dated "Camp near Monterey, 21st April, 1817," 
contains this sentence : "It is asserted by a ]icrson just arrived from 
San Luis, that not more than one-half of (General Santa Anna's ori- 
ginal force was saved in the retreat after the battle of Biiena Vista ; 
and that his march is indicated by the dead strewed along the road 
for sixty leagues." 

On the 28th February, lf^47. General Taylor had writtt^i from 
Saltillo, "Our troojjs hulil the positions they have so will defended, 
and are prepared to receive the enemy should he venture another 
attiicli." 



34 

his soldiers, they placed entire confidence in the valor 
and protection of their gallant chief. They knew that 
he was always ready to stand side by side with them 
in any extremity, to endure their hardships, to be satis- 
fied with their fare, and never to abandon them in the 
hour of calamity ; and they were willing to die for him. 
It is not easy to say, exactly, what makes the charm 
of a beloved commander. Confidence in him is a 
magic spell which gives vigor to the arm and firmness 
to the heart. Each individual on the field, regardless, 
perhaps, of the precise plans that may have been laid 
down, or measures that may be impending, derives 
assurance that they arc the best, from the coolness of 
their leader, 

" Wliile his brow supports 
Undaunted valor and contempt of death," 

and from the recollection of liis unvarying success. 
They may have heard, too, that the most renowned 
of all commanders teaches, in his remarkable Commen- 
taries upon his own exploits, the lesson, " quantum in 
bello, fortuna possit ;"* and they readily believe that 

* De Bello Gallico, Lib. 6 ; xxiii. 

Again; "Fortuna, plurimum potest, pra'cipue in Bello." De 
Bello civili, Lib. 3, Ivii. 

Again : " Multum, quum in omnibus rebus, turn in re militari, 
potest fortuna." De Bello Gallico. Lib. 6, xxviii. 



35 

they arc fighting under banners favored by her smiles. 
All military men know the value of moral force, and 
they estimate it as three to one in comparison with 
the mere force of numbers. General Taylor gave it 
his full belief without the slightest dependence upon 
blind chance, lie could not mistake the disposition 
to emulate his personal example : he knew the conta- 
gion that would spread from soul to soul, and he relied, 
not vainly, on his own tried spirit, to enkindle corre- 
sponding spirits all around him. He resembled the 
great Theban general in many points of character ; 
but he difiered from him in this — that as Epaminon- 
das was said to have conquered every thing but for- 
tune, his lion heart was able to concjuer fortune too. 
To her weak auguries he never turned an ear ; and 
he defied her frowns as much as he scorned to flatter 
man. There was not a taint of superstition in him. 
His good report even of his troops was eminently can- 
did, and it was founded in ^\llat he believed to ho the 
strictest justice. More than once, and in more tliau 
one war, he uttcnul censure at every ha/.aril, and 
almost as freely as he uttered prnis(>. In I'lorida he 
fearlessly denounced conduct thai lie (Icciiicd unwDrtiiy, 
at the ininuiicnt peril, not only of i)oi)ulaiity, hut of 
his commission, which was lor a loni: time assailed. 
In Mexico he had tli(> moral finniiess to speak the 
triitli of all, when the suggestion of it might have 



36 

been death to prospects the most bright that a citizen 
of the repubhc can enjoy. He was desirous of the 
good will and support of all good men ; but he re- 
garded neither popular nor executive favor, if either 
must be purchased by the omission of a duty. This 
vital spring of all his actions — this keen sense of duty, 
alacrity in its performance, and a stern purpose never 
to turn aside from it — marked every military despatch, 
and accompanied every daily march; and it found 
ready compliance with its promptings when great oc- 
casions called it into exercise. It appeared in strict 
subordination to conmiand as long as command was 
given. It infused active exertion into every move- 
ment, and inspired intrepid boldness in preparing to 
obey the orders of the government, regardless of diffi- 
culties and dangers ; and when the hour of battle 
came, nothing could stay its onward course; 

" Not fato, allegiance, or the hand of Mars 
Tlircat''ning, with fiery truncheon, his retire." 

It was rapid as the summer lightning, and terrible 
as the winter storm. 

Can eulogy dip its pencil in any richer colours? 
Cod forbid that greatness should be determined by 
the number of victims wantonly sacrified to ambition, 
or by the depths in which selfishness has waded 
through blood ! Were such the rule, a single for- 



37 

tunate encounter, where rival monarchs have l)roiiirlit 
their battalions to the field, might confer immortality. 
In such a one, a ruthless conqueror boasted that he 
had made sixty thousand prisoners, taken sixty-tive 
standards, three fortresses, and more than twenty 
generals. By the same measure of greatness, if dis- 
aster and defeat are of sufficient magnitude, they 
should make a hero. As when out of four hundred 
thousand soldiers who marched into the Russian ter- 
ritory, one thousand infantry and horsemen, under 
arms, returned at the end of five months, from those 
" pale and frozen deserts." Glory is not asccrfaincd 
by the degree of fertility which the soil may have 
derived by being fattened by the bodies of the slain. 
Little do warriors know to what uses their Avholesale 
butcheries may be applied. jMillions of bushels of 
human bones, gathered from the plains of Lcipsic, of 
Austerhtz and Waterloo, have been sent to England, 
and there ground to dust and sold, for manure. Let 
it be remembered that \\\r most monioral)!i' iiiilii;ir\ 
exploit on record, was the retreat of "the ten tlnni- 
sand." Our o^\n annals contain notliini: hut the 
deeds of small bodies of nun. iVoiii ihiiikcr llill to 
New Orleans. 

Washington did not siirnali/e Imuself on extensiv*^ 
fields, or at the head of 'j^vcnt arnnes. His leL:it»iis 
w(M"e n(jt more lunnerous than iho.-e ol (uiu'ial 



38 

Taylor. If any among ourselves, after more than 
half a century has given opportunity to place the 
true stamp upon his memory, are disposed to ques- 
tion his claims to greatness, let them listen to a 
tribute, of late years, paid to it by a foreign pen. 
After passing in review, the names of mighty men of 
ancient and of modern times, the author continues 
thus: "How grateful the relief which the friend of 
mankind, the lover of virtue, experiences, when turn- 
ing from the contemplation of such a character, his 
eye rests upon the greatest man of our own, or of 
any age ; — the only one upon whom an ei)ithet so 
thoughtlessly lavished by men, to foster the crimes of 
their worst enemies, may be innocently and justly 
bestowed ! In Washington, we truly behold a mar- 
vellous contrast to almost every one of the endow- 
ments and the vices which we have been contem- 
plating, and which are so well fitted to excite a min- 
gled admiration and sorrow, and abhorrence." "It 
will he the duty of the Historian and the Sage, in 
all ages, to omit no occasion of conuncmorating this 
illustrious man ; and until time shall be no more, will 
a test of the progress which our race has made, in 
wisdom and virtue, be derived from the veneration 
paid to the immortal name of Washington." 

This exalted praise is cited not to jn'ovc the merits 
of the Father of his Country, or the estimation in 



39 

which they arc held abroad, or to add a leaf to the 
chaplet of the iiniiicdiate object of our eulogy, by 
claiming for hiui additional titles of wisdom and 
virtue, because of his known estimate of the majestic 
qualities, which were his study and ddiuht, and his 
deep veneration for that " immortal name." Let it 
serve as not unwelcome testimony of the value ol 
true greatness, and of the sterling ingredients of 
which it is composed. 

If he alone be great, who is at the head of myriads 
of armed men, then Xerxes was a hero, and Leonidas 
was none. Yet were the chronicler of human events 
to select from the whole field of history and tradition, 
one exploit that, above all others, stands forth in 
proof of greatness, shining with the gathered bright- 
ness of nearly five-and-twenty centuries, and hal- 
lowed by the universal applause of Pagan and Chris- 
tian times, he would point to the conduct of the 
Spartan commander, at the straits of 'J'lieniiopyhe. 
Ill the place selected for that incinoriihlt' conilict, 
some resemblance is supposed to l)i' loiind to the 
position taken by Geiun-al Taylor, for his last battle 
in Mexico. Both were \\iscly cho.-cii lor the op'i-.i- 
tioiis of :i smiill body against disproporlioncd iiiiiii- 
bers. Both were orciipicMl by incii j)rip;i!r(l to con- 
(|U('r or to (lit', or the N.irioiis I'catiircs ol n-stiii- 
blaiic(; l)ctw(M'ii these two riMnark;ible occasions, tlir 



40 

spots on which a lieroic stand was made, are not, per- 
haps, the most striking. For certain purposes, the mili- 
tary positions were not dissimilar, and for all purposes, 
there was wisdom in the choice of each.* Coinci- 
dences may be traced in some particulars, besides, 
that otherwise m ould stand unmated and alone on the 
broad surface of time. A farther comparison may 
not be without its interest. Vast numbers on the 
heroic side were not an ingredient in the glory of 
either combat. All of the Grecian troops under 
Leonidas, amounted to Jive thousand two hundred. 
According to one historian, they were but four thou- 
sand. Of these, the Spartan band, devoted victims 
to the sublime laws of Lacedajmon, consisted of three 
hundred. General Taylor, by more precise returns, 
carried with him into action, four thousand seven 
hundred and fifty-nine, officers and men. Of the 
hostile forces, Persian or Mexican, the numerical 
strength in the ancient battle, is described as much 



* " I determined," says General Taylor in Iiis letter to General 
G. W. Butler, March 2, 1847, "to occupy a strong position 
between two spurs of a mountain, with a narrow valley between 
them, where, at one point, the road is so narrow as to permit the 
passage of only one icagon at a time." Herodotus, noATMXiA. 
Z. 337, describes the particular spot at Thermopyhe, in precisely 
corresponding terms ; " t'oiraj u^o^itoi ysir^." 



41 

greater tlian in the modern; but in a military ^iew, 
both would be regarded, and were so proclaimed, as 
overwhelming. 

When the Ephori of Sparta enquired of their 
patriotic commander, what object he had in view, he 
answered in the characteristic phrase of the Ame- 
rican Captain — "our duty." His associates in mili- 
tary command, were for retiring from the strait and 
falling back upon the isthmus. Leonidas rejected 
their advice and advanced, as did our general, to 
what he justly regarded as a defensible position, with 
multiplied disadvantages to the enemy. 

The Persian monarch, surrounded by his submis- 
sive millions, sent before the battle, a summons to the 
Spartan chief, for the surrender of his arms. " Come 
and take them," was the laconic answer. In like 
manner, the Mexican Dictator, as his troops rolled 
onward like a flood, with confidence and numbers, 
not lest assured, demanded a surrender at discretion, 
threatening to cut to pieces the little army that stood 
in his way. A reply, scarcely less laconic, declined 
acceding to the nxjuest. 

Leonidas went to his post, pr(>pan>(l to (Ii(>. Ge- 
neral Taylor wrote, on the (>ve of the battle, •' this 
may be the last comnniincatiou nou will receive from 
me." Ilis determination was avowed, " to die raflun- 
than suflbr the flag of his eountrv to be disi^raced," — 



42 

" the chances being," as he declared, " ten to one 
that he should not be a livino- man at the scttinjT of 
the sun." 

Resemblances, such as these, in events which have 
occurred at periods remote from each other, once, 
probably, suggested a theory that has not been with- 
out its supporters, of a Platonic year. It was sup- 
posed that, after the lapse of thirty-six thousand 
years, stars and constellations, by revolving ecjui- 
noxes, would re-assume the same places in the hea- 
vens; and in moral conformity to this plienomenon of 
nature, that after the same number of revolutions of 
the sun, the whole course of human events should be 
renewed, and men and things modified, perhaps, in 
names and places, should return to their first con- 
dition, and re-enact their earlier doings. It is certain 
that human nature is, at all times, so much the same, 
that causes and effects succeed in similar progression. 
Hence history is a mirror scarcely less reflective of 
the future than the past. Prediction finds in expe- 
rience its most unerring guide ; and the arrogance of 
Xerxes and the heroism of Leonidas, are reflected at 
Buena Vista, in the same crimson hue which dyed the 
soil at the pass of Thermopyla\ It was on that 
occasion that Dieneccs immortalized himself, upon 
being told that the Barbarian arrows would obscure 
the light of the sun, by his remark, that it would be a 



43 

convenience, for they sliould then fi«^lit m the shade. 
General Taylor, in one of the engagements of the 
late war, was reminded, by a gallant attendant, tiiat 
the bullets were Hying so thickly about him, that it 
was proper he should change his place. "We will 
go nearer," said the General, " and they ^^ ill pass 
over our heads.'" The dilference consisted in this, 
that the one remark was made, no doubt, bravely, 
at a moment of entire security, and at a dis- 
tance from the threatened event, and the other, 
when death was on the m ing, in a thousand terrific 
forms, and the air seemed charged with its fatal 
messengers. It was at Buena Vista, that the same 
tongue, when the dying and disabled were conveyed 
to the rear, and untold foes, in front, were advancing 
under four-and-twenty generals, uttered, in answer to 
a bleeding, gallant friend — another ever memorable 
phrase — uttered it in no vain boast ; but when the 
impending moment threatened an immediate practical 
fuliilment. "There are my NNoniidcd. I sli;ill iicmt 
pass them alive." It had bcconu! a (liil\ ilicii, to 
perish, and the willing viclim placed liim.-cir upon the 
altar of his country. 

Men are not "ods. Althouiih occasionallv ixiftcd 
with properties aboNc the Ht.iiKhrd of their race ;in 
estimate can be formed oiiK b\ ( ompariiin- them \\ilh 
one another. 'I'lie acti\e and warlike Me\ic;in duel- 



44 

tain took various opportunities to express himself in 
language scarcely less sublime. In a proclamation 
of 27th of January, 1S47, his motto is boldly given 
out, — " to conquer or to die." An oath was registered 
before the Eternal, and prescribed to his followers, not 
to rest an instant until they should completely wipe 
away the vain-glorious foreigner. " No terms with 
him," was the cry ; " nothing for us but heroism and 
grandeur." On another occasion he prepares for the 
public eye this self-immolating pledge ; — " My duty is 
to sacrifice myself, and I well know how to fulfil it. 
Perhaps the American hosts may proudly tread the 
imperial city of Azteca. I will never witness such 
an opprobrium, for I am determined, firsts to die Jight- 
ing.'''' Yet the imperial city was trodden by invaders' 
feet, and the foreigner remained triiunphant on the 
soil ; — and the Mexican chieftain lived more than once 
by flight, leaving behind him the lofty record of his 
valor and his duty, for the amusement of his pursuers. 
It was among the peculiarities of General Taylor 
that his sayings were adapted to the occasion, and 
called forth by it. Always sententious, and sometimes 
sublime, they were never untimely or vain-glorious. 
Were they pledges or promises ? They were sure to 
be redeemed. Were they retaliatory or defensive? 
They were precise, firm, and dignified. Were they 
solemn and self-sacrificing? They were exalted by 



1.") 

the sublimity of surrounding danger and inii)cnding 
death. 

The irreatness -vve are desirous of doMictiiii!" was not 
the perfection of strategdic skill, for it had been 
inured to warfare chiclly with a ^Mld and savage 
foe, less disciplined and drilled, but not less subtle, 
wary, bold, and dangerous, than civilized enemies. It 
was not in the usual sense of the terms, a knowledge 
of the world, for it had been exercised among frontier 
settlements of hardy pioneers, or beyond tiicir borders. 
It was, nevertheless, a knowledge that penetrated 
deeply into the characters of men. It knew, at once, 
whom to confide in, and whom to distrust, and it sel- 
dom found its confidence misplaced, or reUance for 
especial purpose or performance, disappointed. It was 
not profound science or elegant literature; for practi- 
cal vigor, activity, and exposure, employment and 
duty, filled up the measure of its time. Yet all the 
oflicial papers are marked with a combined phrase 
and spirit, they display language and thought together 
so well adapted to each other, so straight forward and 
so clear, thai the despatches from the army ol occu- 
pation, and llicy arc (vxtrcnicly uunicroiis, may be re- 
garded as spcciiiHMis of masterly st\lc and composi- 
tion, challenging a comparison \\\\\\ uritings (.f any 
similar character. Not an idea or a nnohI is ..nutted, 
or is supertluous. A reader perceives, at a glance, the 

G 



46 

perfect sense, and never turns aside to criticise, or 
even to think of tlie terms in which it is conveyed. It 
is native eloquence, M'ithout the dress of ornament. 
Caesar did not write with more precision, or Napoleon 
with more effect. Whatever estimate may be placed 
abroad or at home upon the exploits, or whatever may 
be the difficulty of discovering the share which their 
principal actor bore in them, all agree in the excellence 
of the descriptions, which reconcile transparent truth 
with studied reserve, and the boldest actions with un- 
affected diffidence. 

The excellent person whom we delight to honor 
w^as distinguished for a forethought which did not per- 
mit surprise, and provided for contingencies of every 
occasion ; or, as the event proved, knew how to over- 
come them. He had a courage always on the alert, 
and always in the front of danger, yet never excited, 
and rarely without especial advantage. It served in 
battle to infuse confidence into the inexperienced, and 
inspire the disciplined with emulation. In camp, it 
was his practice to make his home in the most exposed 
place. Inquiry for head-quarters was answered by 
pointing to the advanced pickets. His kindness and 
good-will would have become a woman's heart, and 
he seemed ingeniously to seek excuses for their exer- 
cise. " Do not shoot the deserters," said he ; " the 
worst pimishment you can inflict is to send them back 



47 

to the Mexican army."* A spirit so gifted witli the 
grace of lowliness, that nothing honorable was deemed 
by it too humble, possessed, as his familiar acquaint- 
ances attest, for its peculiar attribute, hatred and 
scorn for every thing mean in men and actions. His 
justice was exact, except when it w as warped, by be- 
nevolence, on the side of mercy. He indulged no pre- 
judices, either against improvements in the art of which 
he was the practical expounder, or against indivi- 
duals ; and he never was accused of partiality towards 
corps or officers. He studied the comfort and advan- 
tage of all alike, giving always his most earnest care 
to the sick and wounded, whether of his own forces 
or of the enemy who fell into his hands. With the 
Mexicans, who dreaded his encounter in the field, he 
enjoyed, not only respect, but esteem and popularity.t 
He had a self-reliance that never faltered, cither in 
promptness of action or accomplishment of pur[)0sc, 
and he forgot the praise that belonged to himself, or 



* Throughout the campaign, no man under him paiil, with life, 
the penalty of martial law, alth(Uigl) llicro may have been such as 
deserved it. 

t VVhcn some poor Ranchcro would be brought bofurc the iJenoral, 
on a march, ex[)ccling to be hung if he did not make important re- 
velations about tlie enemy's forces, he would he astonishtvl at the 
inijuiry, "how many bushels of corn to the acre are raised in those 
parts?" 



48 

bestowed it upon others. A temperance in all things, 
that was almost apostolic, did not exclude the practice 
of a plain and unpretending hospitality. A little bower, 
formed of leaves, in front of the General's tent, for he 
never consented to avail himself of any less humble 
roof, was his hall of audience and the resort of his 
officers ; and his frugal table supplied to every guest 
a plate and cheerful welcome. He was a lover of 
peace for its own sake, as well as for the pursuits it 
brou'Tht alonjT with it, while he had all the faculties 
which war requires, and passed his life in its associa- 
tions. In a business conversation, not long before his 
death, he said, that during forty years of military 
duty, he had never disobeyed an order, and he car- 
ried almost to excess the expectation of implicit obe- 
dience to orders in all who were connected with 
the service. 

This distinguished example instructs us what quali- 
ties are harmonious, since they have been happily 
united in his person. May we not believe that all true 
greatness is compatible with simplicity, amiableness, 
and modesty ? After the battle of Salamis the reward 
of victory was withheld from all competitors, because 
each of them, before the altar of Neptune, selfishly 
inscribed his own name as foremost among the de- 
serving. 

If external appearances are proofs, in addition to 
many internal marks of modesty, General Taylor was 



49 

the least ostentatious of men. lie dispensed with es- 
corts, guards, and sentinels, the usual attendants upon 
officers of his rank. lie insisted rigidly upon points 
of discipline, but he desired to spare his men, who 
were always sufficiently occupied in laborious duty, 
the fatigue of reviews, show drills and parades, and 
he shrunk instinctively in his own person from mere 
ceremony. It may not he without interest in draw- 
ing this part of his portrait to remark, that he seldom 
wore uniform himself, or required it in others. For 
occasions that demanded articles of ceremonial dress, 
he was provided with them, and when respect for those 
he was to meet made it proper, he would put thom 
on. In the routine of camp life, and on a march, his 
garb was the plainest in the army. Although he never 
affected to set an example in any thing, there w as a 
corrective of all tendencies to excess among the young, 
and unreflecting, in his never-failing frugality, absti- 
nence, economy, and moderation, as there was induce- 
ment to other virtues in his exposure, haidiluxHl, 
endurance, patience, promptilu(l<Miiul n)in;iiitic \:il(>r. 
These were innate (pialities of a well-const ructed 
nature. Artificial ones he r.inly dcsind to cultivate. 
He would blush and turn llu- (-(.infi-.-alioii when allu- 
sion was made to his own sor\icrs. Attn- tlic battles 
of the 8th and !)tli of May, a ddciiation fn^m the 
Legislature of Louisiana canuj to present luni a \ote 



50 

of thanks and a sword. A speech and some further 
demonstration were expected. The General waited in 
embarrassment for the unwelcome moment, and as- 
sured a friend, upon his honor, that he would prefer 
fifThtinij the battles over, to goini!; throujrh with the 
ceremony. 

If it be considered diflicult to resemble, by any 
effort, some of the properties with Avhich he was en- 
dowed by a bountiful nature, it might not be unwise, 
at least to adopt in practice, the universal principle of 
his actions. The course of duty, varied by individual 
circumstances, lies straight and plain before us all. 
An example, which invites every one to })ursue it with 
unvarying zeal, may be imitated without presumption, 
and with faculties that are denied to none. 

From an early period of the campaign, marks of 
official respect were extended, less fitting to his merits 
than to the habits of the republic. Thanks of Con- 
gress, medals, swords, and expressions of applause 
from state and municipal authorities, followed each 
other in quick and complimentary succession, together 
with promotion to the highest recognized military 
rank, at first by brevet, and afterwards by com- 
mission. 

Before the month of October, 1847, although no 
formal peace was reached, the war was substantially 
ended. A series of victories in the march of one 



51 

column had been echoed by more numerous victories 
in the march of the other. After a course of brilhant 
triumphs at Vera Cruz, Ccrro Gordo, Contreras, San 
Antonio, Churubusco, the Mohnos del Rey, Cliapultc- 
pec, and the gates of Belen and San Cosme, the Na- 
tional Palace of Mexico had become the head-quarters 
of an American army. The last of opposing armies, 
« once so formidable in numbers, appointments, artil- 
lery, &c.," was represented in the despatch of the 
General-in-chief as " twenty odd thousand men, wlio 
have disbanded themselves in despair." Nothing else 
was left to them. The government itself was " ^^ ith- 
out resources. No army, no arsenals, no magazines, 
and but little revenue, external or internal." Thirteen 
of their generals prisoners, of whom three had been 
Presidents ; colors, standards, twenty thousand small 
arms, and immense stores of munitions of war, were 
in the hands of the conquerors ! 

It was more than doubtful whether the Mexican 
nation coveted any other peace. Its greatest security 
for property and life was gained from strangers and 
enemies. Both of the Ainrriciiii (\.iiiiiiaii(l(M< h.ul 
declined the suggestion of siihsistiiiu: tlu^r armies on 
the people of the country, and tin y coiitiiiucd to i)ay 
the highest prices for every thiiiLT that was coiisuiucd. 
An authentic appeal, from «itizens ol \\vA\ staiuhiiLS at 
one time reached the city of Wa.-liiiigtoii, entreating 



52 

tliat our troops might not he withdrawn, to leave the 
better inhabitants at the mercy of the disorderly. 

Such was the condition of affairs when General 
Taylor asked and obtained " a respite from duty." It 
was given witli a cliccrful acknowledgment, by the 
department, " of the very arduous and distinguished 
services rendered in the important command assigned" 
to him; and as cheerfully did he offer to "receive 
orders for the field," if his services should be deemed 
necessary. 

A warmer welcome waited his return — a welcome 
from the people. Formal nomination and triumph- 
ant election followed. He was called to the Su})reme 
Executive Chair, by no mere party vote, and in the 
face of his own declared wishes. He resembled that 
heroic Emperor, wlio, accustomed to command and 
gifted for a ruler, reluctantly put on the purple, and 
warned the Roman citizens against their choice. 
Soon came a joyous inauguration, and all was hope. 
No want of harmony obscured the brightness of the 
auspicious day. If the foremost, in the spirit-stirring 
scene, was the laureled Victor, then first before the 
gaze of that delighted multitude, as he swore to 
defend the Constitution — the second was the chief 
magistrate whose term had closed, with a patriotic 
pride in the wisdom of our Institutions, ministering, 
gracefully, to the tramjuil gladness of the ceremony. 



53 

A new career was now opened. Wisdom in 
council must succeed to vigour in arms — the lidd 
was exchanged for the cabinet. Yet the same ^ u- 
tues which had been conspicuous in one situation, 
were adapted in different degrees of relative promi- 
nence to the other. A self-dependence less absolute, 
upon the stores of experience and peculiar faculties of 
a single leading mind, would be the necessary result 
of a new position, and of infinite variety of subordi- 
nate detail. The constitution, too, while it leaves 
the weight of responsibility and the exercise of power 
with the Executive Head, looks to official assistance 
from separate departments, from whose incumbents, 
opinions may be required " upon any subject relating 
to the duties of their respective offices ;" opinions, of 
course, designed in greater or less extent for practical 
influence and utility. He would be unwise, with the 
largest personal experience, who should not be open 
to advice, thus sanctioned, when the fate of nations 
may hang upon the issue. How fiir the moasurcs of 
the late administration originated with its (ontrolling 
Chief Magistrate, none of us h;ive a right to »Mi(}uire. 
It was not his tendency to be aflectcd In fear, and 
ho was never known to shrink from rc-poiisilnlity. 
Time is too fresh and opinion too iiimiatiirc to per- 
mit, if it were in i)lace, on this occasion, a critical 



54 

review of the public events of the sixteen fruitful 
months which preceded our lamented loss. The 
effect of such as were fulfilled, and the influence of 
those which had not reached their accomplislunent, 
are rich proofs of wisdom, and love of country. 

Searching enquiries were promptly directed into the 
condition of territorial possessions, recently acquired, 
and yet comparatively unknown. Information was 
collected, under the auspices of the Executive, for 
the use of any and all the departments of the govern- 
ment; and exact knowledge was sought concerning 
the somewhat novel and always intricate subject of 
titles to land. Needful assurances were given, to 
tranquilize an uncertain population, of the benefits 
of protection and civil government, and for frus- 
tratino; schemes of alienation bv fraud or force. 

Commercial and i^olitical intelli<Tcnce was souirht 
in the heart of the provinces of a great maritime 
neighbour, with a view to their OAvn and our navi- 
gation laws. A treaty of great importance was 
negotiated with the same power, putting aside threat- 
ened collision, securing, in the not distant future, 
facilities for a passage from ocean to ocean, and 
relieving a feeble nation. 

Treaties were made with the Sandwich Islands, 
with New Grenada, with Peru and Mexico, Nica- 
ragua, San Salvador, and Guatemala. 



55 

Special missions to Liberia and Ilnyti, wrru di- 
rected, and successfully pursued. 

Every prudent cllbrt was made to prevent a pos- 
sible compromise of neutrality, whicli was threatened 
witli more than one European sovereignty, by expe- 
ditions of armed citizens, or other hostile movements, 
not justified by friendly relations, good faith, or 
subsisting laws. At the same time, the (li<:nity niul 
honor of the country were vindicated in a proud 
example of security and protection aflbrded to all 
justly entitled to the privilege of treading tho Ame- 
rican soil. 

Distant realms of the Eastern world were visited, 
with a view to extend commerce, cultivate friendly 
relations, enlarge the bounds of knowledge, and make 
known to barbarous and civilized nations the safety 
of the citizen under the wms of his adventurous flajx 
in the remotest regions of the globe. 

A becoming eflbrt for the relief of foreign enter- 
prize among polar seas, the fate of \\\\\c\\ iii\<. Kcd 
the maritime interests of the whole world, was not 
forgotten. 

And that gallant nation whieli, awalvened fmin th(> 
sleep of ages by th(^ spirit of Liherty, that stHMued to 
breathe over the fae(> of I'lirope. made (»ne iiohle 
cObrt to burst its chains asunder, and failed oiiI\ 
when imj)crial |)0wers combined to rnei them anew. 



56 

called forth the warmest sympathy. Preparations 
were formed to hail the auspicious era of freedom in 
that congenial clime, the moment it should become 
compatible with a rightful observance of neutrality. 
Heroism struggled in vain, and Hungary fell back 
into the arms of Despotism, and the desire and the 
movement to welcome another name among the free 
governments of the earth, were reluctantly withdrawn, 
only when all was over; when the resemblance be- 
came complete to the signal efforts and the signal 
failure of a neighboring people, half a century before, 
at whose downfall, 

" Hope, for a season, bade the world farewell, 
And Freedom shrick'd — as Kosciusko fell." 

Neither last nor least, in the many and wise at- 
tempts to promote the true glory and durable good 
of the Republic, was the approach to immediate and 
friendly intercourse with the republic of Switzerland. 
Overtures were for the first time made, and gratefully 
received and reciprocated ; for close connection with 
that heroic race and historic land, on whose classic 
rocks and lofty mountains, the shade of Tell keeps 
w^atch over the liberties of his countrymen. 

Such were some of the magnificent designs which 
filled the mind of the late President, while looking 
beyond the mere centre of the Union. His deepest 



57 

sensibilities were engaged in parental care over tlie 
immediate harmony and happiness of his own native 
land. Under these bright skies, alone, can an excess 
of all that gives zest to life, produce restlessness and 
discontent, from mere satiety. He was prepared, with 
all the vigor of a patriot heart, to put down disunion. 
His loyalty was to his country — its whole peoj)le — 
their sovereignty, and liberty, and laws. He knew no 
higher public duty, than firm resistance to encroach- 
ments on the nation's riijhts. He had read of strife 
and consequent calamity among disjointed mem- 
bers of the same political family ; — he had laid to 
heart the wise lessons of the sublime farewill of 
Washington ; — he had led a life of entire devotion to 
the Union — and that Union, in its purest interests, he 
was determined to maintain. To the last ebbing 
of his sands of life, he would have stood a buhs ark 
against anarchy ; and his heroic actions and uncon- 
taminated thoughts were consecrated to the end, to 
duty, and his country. 

" Though perils did 
Abound, as tliick as thought could make them, and 
Appear in forms more horriil, yet liis ditv, — 
As dotli a rock against tlic chiding Hood, — 
Would tiie a|)proach nftho wild river break, 
And stand unshaken." 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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